Awning



s'. G. SCHWARTZ 2,497,419

AWNING 5 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 14, 1950 Filed Deo. 30, 1946 Mmw STANLEY G. SUMA T2 /z 12,l ATTnRNExs Feb. 14, 1950 s. G. SCHWARTZ 2,497,419

AWNING 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 30. 1946 \N\IE.NTOB 5m@ G. cHwARrz Qdi-*J Amm Feb. 14, 1950 s. G. SCHWARTZ 2,497,419

AWNING Filed Dec. so, 1946 s sheets-sheet 5 i l YIG. /lr `1 M TTORNEYS 5 l ASTANLFX GcHwAgrz Patented Feb. 14, 1950 AWNING Stanley G. Schwartz, Grand Rapids, Mich., as-

signor, by mesne assignments, to Victor Tool & Machine Corporationgenton Harbor, Mich., a

corporation of Michigan Application December 30, 1946, Serial No. 719,284

The present invention is directed to a novel construction of an awning which may be used at windows, at the fronts of stores and various other places where awnings have been used.

It is a primary object and purpose of the present invention to produce a novel construction of awning, made substantially wholly of sheet metal parts, which may be moved to a raised position or lowered to an operative position for the partial exclusion of light at a window or store front, and which awning in its operative position in'- clines Adownwardly and outwardly, whereby rain falling thereon, is directed downwardly and outwardly and drained from the awning. Furthermore said awning at each end will be', in effect, closed by metal side members which are, however, separated at their adjacent upper and lower edge portions for free air circulation, yet at the same time excluding excess light and also interposing against rain coming laterally underneath the upper inclined awning portions. A further object of the invention is to provide an awning structure of the type noted in which the sheet metalparts are readily fabricated, with economy, quickly and easily assembled, and in which the assembled awning is easily installed at its place of use and may be moved from its folded inoperative to its unfolded operative position, and vice versa in an easy and expeditious manner.

An understanding of the invention may be hadA from the following description, taken in con.- nection with the accompanying drawings inv which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the awning of my. invention in its unfolded operative position.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereto.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the awningy in its folded inoperative position.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged, vertical section through Fig. 1 and of the awning structure.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vhorizontal enlarged section showing the manner in which the end members of the awning are connected to the main supports,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary partial perspective and sectional view, with a part broken away for better disclosure, showing the upper sections of the awning in their outwardly and downwardly inclined position. Fig. '7 is a view, similar to Fig. 4, of another form of structure.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view, similar to Fig. 2, showing such other form of structure 1 Claim. (Cl. 2li-57.5)

2 used to simultaneously move the awning units from folded to unfolded position.

Fig. 9 is a sectional View, similar to Fig. 3, showing the modified form of structure folded, and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary longitudinal section substantially on the plane of line IIJ-I I'I of Fig. 8.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

In the Aconstruction of the awning, two vertical supporting members I of metal and of angle bar form preferably are used, and which are spaced from each other a -distance equal substantially to the length of the awning. One'leg of each of the bars I is adapted to lie against the side of a wall or building or casing, on which the'awning is installed, having suitable keyhole slots for the reception of headed screws or pins driven into the wall. The other legs of the vertical supports I extend outwardly, as shown.

At the inner sides of said outwardly extending legs, U-shaped brackets 2, each made from a length of metal, are permanently secured having inner ends 3 which are downwardly and upwardly inclined to the vertical, as best shown in Fig. 4.

These brackets 2are connected with the outwardly extending legs of the space supports I in vertical spaced relation. On each bracket, metal end members 4 and 5 are pivotally mounted. The uppermost end 4 is of triangular shape, and those below, numbered 5, in succession are of increasing length, each having a vertical inner edge and an outer downwardly and outwardly v inclined outer edge and upper and lower horizontal edge portions increasing in length with each of the end members 5 from the uppermost to the lowermost, as shown in Fig. l. Each of the members 5 at their upper edge is formed with an inturned horizontal ledge 6 and all of the members 4 and 5 at their lower edge portions are bent outwardly for a short distance horizontally and then downwardly vertically, as indicated at 1. Because of the inclination of the inner ends 3 of the brackets 2, said awning end members 4 and 5, as to their bodies, are inclined at the same angles to the vertical.

Each of said end members 4 and 5 has a pivotal connection to its associated bracket 2. A headed screw 8 passes through the upperv inner corner of each and through the end 3 of the bracket, which is pressed into the form shown at the screw connection, and is connected with a Timerman sheet metal nut 9 of well known construction at the inner side of the end 3 of the bracket. The lower tion 'I of each end member may extend outwardly beyond said leg of the support I and said end members 4 and 5 will be held in horizontal position, as in Fig. 2, when turned about theaxes of the screws 8 to such position.

The super-imposed pairs of end members 5 and 4 are provided at their frontor outer inclined edges with longitudinal awning members II and IIa of sheet metal. horizontal edge has a returned bent head I2. Each of the members I I at its upper longitudinal edge has a forwardly bent bead I3. The uppermost member I Ia, at its upper edge, is bent downwardly at right angles for a short distance and back upon itself as at I3a (Fig. 6).

Gusset plates I4 are welded or otherwise permanently secured to the ledges B and the upper sides of the beads I3, permanently connecting said transverse awning members II with end members 5, and said plates II at their ends are connected with the inclined outer ends of the members 5. The upper plate I Ia is permanently connected with the end members 4. There is thus provided a plurality of super-imposed units, all except the uppermost having ends 5 and outer members I I transversely between the ends, while the uppermost has the triangular ends 4 and a similar transverse inclined member IIa, all being adapted to be located horizontally, as in Figs. l and 2, with the various inclined transverse awning members II and IIa overlapping at their adjacent longitudinal edges (Fig. 2) In such position, the awning is extended outwardly from a building on which it is installed, and the inclined members II and IIa shed water from rain, and shade windows or store fronts to which applied.

At one or both ends of the assembled awning units, a vertical bar I5 is mounted at the outer sides thereof a. short distance in front of the rear vertical support I. Pivotal connections at spaced apart points in the length of said bar are made with the adjacent end members 4 and 5. With such construction a tipping upwardly of all of the awning units in unison is attained, moving them to upper folded inoperative position, as in Fig. 3. And the awning may be lowered by simultaneously moving all of the units in a downward direction. The flexibility and resilience of the sheet metal nuts 9 permit such ready movement from one to the other positions or back again, shown in Figs. l and 3. I

Preferably, though not necessarily essential for the practical working of the awning structure, each of the vertical supports I has applied thereto a member IB, of substantially the same` length, of angle form, one leg of which lies against the forwardly extending leg of the support I and is` secured thereto and the other extends inwardly at the front edge of the forwardly extending leg of said support I, and is provided with a series of vertically spaced shoulders I1 by cutting portions above from said inwardly extending leg, as shown. Said shoulders are located so that when the awning is extending, as in Fig. 1, they will come underneath the ends lower edge portions l, and the mounting brackets 2 will be partially covered with a presentation of a better appearance. Also at the upper ends of and extending between said vertical supports I, an inverted channel IB is located, at each end having a downwardly extending ear I9 overlapping and connecting with the up- Aper ends of the vertical supports I and the outer members I6. The front side or ilange of the channel I8 preferably, at its lower edge is bent i? `at an incline to the vertical, to the rear, as shown between the wall or other support to which the awning is attached and the rear edge of the -at I8a.. This covers the upper opening or gap upper section of the awning.

Each at its lower yIn Figs. '7 to 10 inclusive, the equalizing bars I5 are not used. Instead, at the lower side and adjacent each end of the parts I l and IIa, a at bar 20 is permanently secured having a downwardly extending flange which is slotted for the major portion of its length with a long slot 2l. At the upper reinforced edge portion I3 of the awning sections below the uppermost section, a fixture or bracket 22 is spot-welded or otherwise permanently secured of the form best shown in Fig. 10, between the upwardly extending sides of which brackets the iianges of bars 2D, as described are received. A screw 23 passes through each of said slot and is connected with the opposed sides of the complementary iixture 22, the enlarged Shanks of the screws being adapted to move lengthwise of the slots 2l in folding the awning from the operative position, indicated in Fig. 8, and a raised position as in Fig. 9. With this structure, there is also a simultaneous operation of the superimposed awning sections or units in their movements between raised and lowered positions and vice versa.

The constructions described are very practical and useful, readily manufactured, economical, easily installed and very easily operated.

The invention is defined in the appended claim and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within its scope.

I claim:

An awning comprising two spaced apart vertical supports, and a plurality of superposed overlapping awning sections of progressively increasing length from top to bottom, each section having an inclined top and two ends, each end being pivoted near its top inner portion to a vertical support and each end being slightly inclined outwardly and downwardly and all of said sections being of the same width whereby they become nested together when turned upwardly on their pivots, elongated guideways extending beneath the inclined tops of the sections and bearing members at the upper outer parts of said sections each traversably engaging the guideway of the section above it.

STANLEY G. SCHWARTZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date v1,666,657 Hopkins Apr. 17, 1928 2,378,139 Graham June 12, 1945 

